Stat 4194: Applied Sports Statistics
Spring 2025 (29679)
Course Overview
Course Description
Applied statistics topics in a sports context, including regression, categorical analysis, fixed and random effect models, machine learning and predictive models, time series, supervised and unsupervised clustering.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should successfully be able to:
• Propose and test measurable, relevant research questions and statistical hypotheses in sports contexts
• Apply statistics and data science methods in sports contexts
• Read and critique published academic work on research related to statistics and data science in sports contexts
• Create professional, rigorous visualizations and reports on statistical analyses
Materials
Text
Required text: Stat 4194 Course Notes (electronic, on Carmen)
Recommended text resources:
• James, Witten, Hastie, Tibshirani: An Introduction to Statistical Learning with Applications in R, 2nd edition. (https://statlearning.com/)
• Applied Linear Regression Models, 4th edition, by Kutner, Nachtsheim, and Neter, 2004
Software
• Required software: we will extensively use the statistical software package called R (The R Project for Statistical Computing; http://www.r-project.org/). This software package is available for free. You can download R for Windows, Mac, and Linux, from the CRAN archive at https://cran.r-project.org. An in- depth introduction to R is available at http://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-intro.pdf . Tutorials are available in the Swirl system, which you can learn about at http://swirlstats.com/. “R Programming: The basics of programming in R” is an appropriate first tutorial for students who have never used R.
• Required software: we will also use the R interface RStudio. This package is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and can be downloaded for free from http://rstudio.org. Note that RStudio requires R to be installed.
• Required software: Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus. All Ohio State students are now eligible for free Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus through Microsoft’s Student Advantage program. Each student can install Office on five PCs or Macs, five tablets (Windows, iPad® and Android™ ) and five phones. Students are able to access Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and other programs, depending on platform. Users will also receive 1 TB of OneDrive for Business storage. Office 365 is installed within your BuckeyeMail account. Full instructions for downloading and installation can be found https://ocio.osu.edu/kb04733.
Grades and Assignments
Homework
Homework assignments will comprise 20% of your grade for the course. Assignments will only be accepted through Carmen as a .pdf file submission, with clear and organized work and relevant code and output provided. Every assigned problem should be completed, but only a subset of problems may be graded. You are encouraged to collaborate on homework assignments, but ultimately the work you submit must be your own. All homework assignments will be included in your final grade.
Quizzes
Quizzes will comprise 10% of your grade for the course. These short assignments will frequently be given during lectures, and may be unannounced. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Quizzes missed due to an excused absence must be made up during office hours within one business day of the missed class.
Projects
The course will include three projects, each comprising 20% of your grade. They will roughly be due in Weeks 5, 11, and during final exam week.
Attendance
Attendance will be taken daily and will comprise 10% of your course grade. All students will get one free absence with no questions asked. Additional absences will be considered on a case by case basis. You can strengthen your case by reaching out farther in advance, attending office hours to discuss the missed material, and providing documentation such as a doctor’s note. Two tardies will be counted as one absence.
Late Assignments
Late homeworks and projects will be accepted for 48 hours after the original due date with a 2% deduction per hour. After this, no late assignments will be accepted. Do not wait until the last moment to begin working on assignments. Unexpected obstacles will occur in life - it is your responsibility to be prepared for them. If something unexpected comes up 2 hours before an assignment is due that impedes your ability to submit on time, then you should have started the assignment earlier. Submitting the wrong document - such as the blank assignment template, an incomplete version, or a corrupted version of the file - is not a valid excuse. It is your responsibility to ensure you have submitted the proper document in the proper format.
For emergencies, each student can have one late waiver throughout the semester, no questions asked. You still have to turn in the assignment within 48 hours, but I’ll waive the late penalty for one assignment of your choosing if something unexpected comes up and submit it within 48 hours of the due date.